Passenger helps to land 747

Passenger helps to land 747 - The West Australian

Ok, so the crew of the Lufthansa 747 flying from Newark to Frankfurt on November 19 didn't actually ask the question, but it's probably what they were thinking when the co-pilot was incapacitated by a migraine mid-air.

Luckily for the flight crew, help was at hand.

With the co-pilot in medical trouble the staff announced they were diverting the flight to Dublin airport, according to AOL UK.

That announcement prompted one of the passengers to question the reason for the diversion.

As it turned out, the passenger was also a pilot who worked for North American Airlines and was qualified to fly a jumbo jet.

The stranger stepped in and he and the pilot landed the plane safely.

The co-pilot went to hospital and the flight resumed six hours later after a replacement crew was found, Britain's Daily Mail newspaper reported.

A Lufthansa spokeswoman said the man who stepped in was fully licensed to operate and fly the 747.

"In such circumstances it's absolutely normal procedure for the pilot, the flight captain, to continue to operate the aircraft," she said.

"Also, where necessary, the cabin crew are fully trained and can be called upon to read checklists back to the pilot."